French Classics Made Easy (17 page)

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (#6) plain tube with the cream-puff pastry dough and rest it on the edge of a pan of simmering water. Gently squeeze out about 1 inch of pastry and cut it off with the tip of a paring knife, letting the pastry fall into the simmering water.

Although these Parisian-style dumplings are called gnocchi and have the same shape, the similarity to the Italian dish ends there. French gnocchi are made from cream-puff pastry piped from a pastry bag into simmering water and poached. The resulting dumplings are light and delicately flavored.

Traditionally, these dumplings are served with a Mornay sauce, which I find much too heavy. Instead I serve them with a sauce of cream and fresh tomatoes, which makes this a much lighter, fresher dish. You can of course serve them, as with Italian gnocchi, with a tomato sauce.

SERVES 6

Double recipe Savory Cream-Puff Pastry (
page 221
)

2 ounces Swiss-style cheese, such as Gruyère or Emmentaler, grated (about ⅔ cup)

CREAM SAUCE WITH FRESH TOMATOES

1 cup heavy cream

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped, and well drained

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about ¼ cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, tarragon, or parsley

1.
Make the cream-puff pastry and stir the grated Swiss-style cheese into the dough in step 3, after you’ve beaten in the eggs. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (#6) plain tube with the mixture.

2.
Fill a 5-quart saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a simmer. Resting the tube on the edge of the pan, gently squeeze the pastry to approximately 1 inch in length and cut off the gnocchi with the point of a knife. (If the pastry clings to your knife, dip the knife into the hot water.)

3.
As the gnocchi simmer, they will rise to the surface of the water and become springy to the touch when fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

4.
Drain the gnocchi on paper towels. (The gnocchi can be made 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve them.)

5.
Make the Cream Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes: In a large saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and season with the salt and pepper. Add the gnocchi to the cream to reheat.

6.
When the cream has thickened slightly, gently stir in the tomatoes and half the Parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

7.
Pour into a warm serving dish; sprinkle with the chopped herbs and serve immediately. Pass the remaining Parmesan separately.

IN ADDITION

The gnocchi can also be formed into small spoon-shaped dumplings; see “Spoon-Molding Dumplings,” this page.

S
POON
-M
OLDING
D
UMPLINGS

This spoon-molding method of making Parisian gnocchi can also be used with the Basic Fish Mousseline (
page 48
) to make quenelles.

1.
Dip two spoons into hot water and scoop the pastry with one spoon.

2.
Use the second spoon to scoop and mold the pastry as it drops into simmering water.

VARIATIONS

G
REEN
G
NOCCHI

[GNOCCHI VERTS]

I often make green gnocchi by coloring the dough with a dried purée of watercress or spinach as I do when making Fresh Green Pasta (
page 81
). Try coloring half the recipe green and serving a combination of green and white
gnocchi à la parisienne.

H
ERBED
G
NOCCHI

[GNOCCHI AUX HERBES]

In step 1, stir 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as chives or tarragon, into the dough.

GRUYERE PASTRY RING
FILLED WITH
C
HEESE
S
OUFFLE

[GOUGÈRE SOUFFLÉE]

A gougère is simply baked creampuff pastry to which Gruyère (Swiss) cheese has been added. It is a traditional dish from the Burgundy region of France. The pastry, with cheese stirred in, is spooned out onto a pastry sheet in a ring or baked as small cream puffs and served with cocktails.

I have taken the somewhat rustic
gougère
and transformed it into an elegant first course. Based on a cream-puff pastry dessert called Paris-Brest (
page 228
), the
gougère
is baked in its traditional ring form, but filled with an airy cheese soufflé and placed in a hot oven just before serving.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Butter and all-purpose flour, for baking sheet (optional)

Savory Cream-Puff Pastry (
page 221
)

2 ounces Gruyère or other Swiss-style cheese, grated (about ⅔ cup)

1 egg, beaten

Gruyère Soufflé (
page 46
), prepared through step 7

1.
Preheat the oven to 475°F with the rack set in the lower third of the oven. Butter and flour a regular or nonstick baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper. Use a pot lid to draw the outline of a 7-inch circle.

2.
Make the cream-puff pastry and stir three-fourths of the grated cheese into the dough in step 3, after you’ve beaten in the eggs. Fill a pastry bag fitted with an 11/16-inch (#9) plain tube with the mixture. Following the outline of the circle, squeeze a ring of pastry about 1 inch wide onto the baking sheet. (You can spoon out the pastry to make the ring, although it will have a rougher look.) Brush the ring lightly with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

3.
Place in the oven for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake until light brown all over, 25 to 30 minutes more.

4.
While the pastry is still warm, cut off the top one-third with a serrated knife and reserve. Allow both portions of the pastry to cool on a pastry rack. (The pastry shell can be made 1 day in advance and stored in a plastic bag, unrefrigerated.)

5.
When you are ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475°F with the rack set in the lowest position. Place the bottom of the pastry ring on a baking sheet and top the ring with the Gruyère soufflé mixture so that it is rounded on top. Gently replace the top of the ring and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the soufflé just begins to rise.

6.
Using two metal spatulas, gently transfer the filled pastry ring to a serving platter. Use a serrated knife to cut into individual portions and serve warm.

G
OUGERES

The cheese-flavored cream-puff dough used to make the pastry ring (facing page) is more commonly baked as individual puffs—called
gougères
—that are served with cocktails or a glass of wine.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (#6) tube, shape the
gougères
by piping the dough into quarter-size puffs about 1 inch in diameter. Or simply drop the dough by the teaspoon onto a baking sheet that has been buttered and floured or lined with a silicone liner. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven. Remember, as with any cream puff, the pastry should puff, turn golden, and bake dry, 20 to 25 minutes.

In addition to the traditional Gruyère cheese used to flavor
gougères,
you can add chopped fresh herbs like parsley, chives, or rosemary. I even had one served to me with chopped seaweed and lots of black pepper, which I enjoyed a lot. Or try a little finely chopped ham to make ham-and-cheese
gougères
.

For a wonderful crispy hors d’oeuvre, deep-fry the puffs: Heat the oil to a depth of 4 inches in a deep-fryer to 365°F and drop the dough by the teaspoon or half-teaspoon into the oil. The puffs will be done in 4 to 5 minutes, depending on their size.

SAVORY PUFF PASTRIES

The secret to puff pastry’s wonderful flakiness and glorious flavor is in the butter. Because it is so rich, I reserve it for special occasions.

Although making puff pastry is certainly not quick and easy, using what’s called rough puff pastry instead of the classic puff pastry, as I do, greatly simplifies the procedure, shortening the process by about 2½ hours. I would suggest to anyone approaching puff pastry for the first time that you try the following recipes with store-bought puff pastry first, to get a feel for the dough. Then I recommend that you try it with homemade Rough Puff Pastry (
page 230
). I think you will be surprised not only by the difference in taste, but also by the relative ease with which you can make a truly impressive pastry.

What makes puff pastry so perfect for entertaining—in addition to its special-occasion richness—is that in most cases the pastry can be cut, filled, or formed on baking sheets and frozen until ready to bake. Or it can be fully baked in advance and then reheated just before serving.

PUFF PASTRY
WITH
A
NCHOVY
B
UTTER

[FEUILLETÉS D’ANCHOIS]

This delicious puff -pastry hors d’oeuvre is excellent with cocktails. The warm strips of flaky pastry filled with the delicately flavored anchovy butter are a pleasant surprise.

SERVES 10 TO 12

Butter, for baking sheet

½ recipe Rough Puff Pastry (
page 230
) or

1 pound store-bought puff pastry